G7 says Iran must stop nuclear escalation

G7 Foreign and Development Ministers pose for a group photo in Liverpool, England Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021. (AFP)
Short Url
Updated 12 December 2021
Follow

G7 says Iran must stop nuclear escalation

  • Truss: Vienna talks were Iran’s “last chance to come to the negotiating table with a serious resolution”
  • Negotiations restarted on Thursday to try to revive the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers

LIVERPOOL: The G7 on Sunday said time was running out for Iran to agree a deal to curb its nuclear ambitions.

Foreign ministers from the world's richest nations held a two-day meeting in Liverpool, northwest England, seeking to present a strong, united front against global threats.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, from G7 host Britain, said resumed talks in Vienna were the Islamic Republic's “last chance to come to the negotiating table with a serious resolution.”

“There is still time for Iran to come and agree this deal,”she told a news conference.

The final communique from the talks said “must stop its nuclear escalation and seize the opportunity to conclude a deal, while this is still possible.”

Negotiations restarted on Thursday to try to revive the 2015 deal between Iran and world powers, which the United States withdrew from under Donald Trump in 2018.

Iran claims it only wants to develop a civilian capability but Western powers say its stockpile of enriched uranium goes well beyond that, and could be used to develop a nuclear weapon.

US President Joe Biden has said he is ready to return to the agreement and Iranian officials maintain they are serious about committing to the talks.

But Tehran has been accused of backsliding on progress made earlier this year and playing for time.

Truss's comments are the first time a signatory to the original deal has given an ultimatum for the talks.


Senior Hamas figure reported killed in air strike in Gaza

Updated 8 sec ago
Follow

Senior Hamas figure reported killed in air strike in Gaza

  • Israel has razed buildings and ordered residents out ⁠of more than half of Gaza where its troops remain
  • Israel ⁠and Hamas have traded blame for violations of the ceasefire

CAIRO: Two Israeli airstrikes killed five people in Deir Al-Balah in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, local health authorities said, and Palestinian media reported that one of those killed was a senior figure in the armed wing of Hamas.
The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on the incident. Palestinian media identified him as Mohammed Al-Holy, describing him as ⁠a local Hamas commander in Deir Al-Balah. The militant group did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
More than 400 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since a fragile ceasefire took effect in October.
Israel has razed buildings and ordered residents out ⁠of more than half of Gaza where its troops remain. Nearly all of the territory’s more than 2 million people now live in makeshift homes or damaged buildings in a sliver of territory where Israeli troops have withdrawn and Hamas has reasserted control.
The United Nations children agency said on Tuesday that over 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire, including victims of drone and quadcopter attacks.
Israel ⁠and Hamas have traded blame for violations of the ceasefire and remain far apart from each other on key issues, despite the United States announcing the second phase of the ceasefire on Wednesday.
Israel launched its operations in Gaza in the wake of an attack by Hamas-led fighters on October, 2023 which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s assault has killed 71,000 people, according to health authorities in the strip, and left much of Gaza in ruins.